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Is it possible to get a Mirage i9s without the features???
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Author:  Loren E [ Tue Nov 30, 2010 10:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Is it possible to get a Mirage i9s without the features???
I am a fly fisherman, and need a kayak I can fly fish out of, but that can also paddle well in the ocean and pack down to put on an airplane. The mirage i9s looks like THE boat for me, BUT it is way too tricked out! I want this boat without the hobie drive system as the peddles would just be bothersome for me because of how much time I'd paddle or pull the kayak up on shallow flats, and the sailing mounts and rudder controls and rudder would all just be extra things without use for me that look like they could catch line.

Is there any hope of a simplified i9s without these features? Just a bare-bones i9s?

Thanks! -Loren Elliott
Author:  Thinwater skinner [ Wed Dec 01, 2010 1:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Is it possible to get a Mirage i9s without the features?
Try to buy a used one and leave the other stuff at home. Save some money too? The sail mast base might be hard to remove.
Author:  Loren E [ Wed Dec 01, 2010 10:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Is it possible to get a Mirage i9s without the features?
If I were able to buy a used one minus the peddle system somehow, is there a good way to plug the big whole left?
Author:  mmiller [ Thu Dec 02, 2010 2:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Is it possible to get a Mirage i9s without the features?
The pedals are what makes the Hobie unique and so user friendly... why would you not want them? Why buy a Hobie i9 at all if you don't want the pedal system? There are plenty of paddle inflatables out there.
Author:  Loren E [ Fri Dec 03, 2010 1:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Is it possible to get a Mirage i9s without the features?
For my application the peddle system would be more of a hindrance than a benefit because I am fly fishing, and usually in very shallow water, so I would likely constantly be pulling the peddle system up to get the fins out of the water so I can slide up in 6 and 8 inches of water on the flats where I chase fish. Also the peddle system would be where I would strip my fly line and so it would be something for the line to get stuck on. The paddle system wouldn't really help me with fishing since you can't go backwards with it so I wouldn't be using it while fishing, just a paddle for technical maneuvering while fishing.

The reason I wanted a hobie was because in my research I can't find an inflatable sit-on-top that paddles and haddles really well, I have been told as well as a rigid body yak, and has the ability to be packed onto a plane. All the ones I could find looked like they had flat hulls and would be a nightmare for serious use in a chop and paddling some distance. Am I wrong here....is there a similarly performing sit-on-top packable inflatable without peddle system? thanks
Author:  augaug [ Fri Dec 03, 2010 1:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Is it possible to get a Mirage i9s without the features?
I'm not one to talk anybody out of a Hobie, but I think some of the things that I've read about how the Hobie inflatables handle, is often directly related to the Mirage drive. There are certainly some hull innovations, but the mirage drive in the inflatable design is the perfect marriage of propulsion and a less then efficient inflatable design. The Mirage Drive pulls from the front, centre of the boat, keeping it pulling strong, forward, where a paddle only inflatable pulls from each side, and that makes them much more difficult to keep tracking in a straight line.

Why not buy the Hobie with the mirage drive? You can always pull it out and use the boat exactly as you say, but you'll also find a whole new level of recreation by going places that you may not have considered. If you want to pack it on a plane and not take the mirage drive, you always have that option.
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